Olga Merediz

Olga Merediz is an American actress who most notably originated the role of Abuela Claudia in Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway musical "In the Heights", for which she received a 2008 Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. Merediz reprises the role in the film adaption of "In the Heights", directed by Jon M. Chu, released in 2021 by Warner Brothers. Olga also notably starred as the singing voice of Abuela Alma for the Disney animated film "Encanto" and reprised this role for "Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl" streaming on Disney+. Most recently she can be seen as a supporting role in "Somebody I Used To Know", which became the #1 streamed movie in the US on Prime Video. Merediz was born in Guantánamo, Cuba. She left Cuba with her family when she was five years old to Miami, Florida. Thereafter, she relocated with her family to Puerto Rico where she grew up and attended American schools. Merediz graduated with a bachelor's degree from Newcomb College, t